Faded Rainbow
by Candy Crystal
Summary: A Uni dies as she gives birth to her baby. When Sparkly Rainbows is left to fend for herself she dies and returns as a restless ghost. Will she be able to rest in peace before the Lord of the Underworld grabs her for eternity?
1. Slimesicles

**Any Neopet besides mine are fictional. If your Neopet's name is mentioned in this story it is pure coincidence. I have not based the story around any certain Neopet other than my own. **

It was a cloudless evening in the small town of Neopia Central. The crisp breeze blew silently across a grassy paddock where a joyful whinny could be heard.

Tracey stood alongside the wooden fence as she watched her pregnant white Uni trot eagerly towards her. The graceful Uni had a beautiful stride as if she were a dancer, therefore her name when Tracey had created her was 'Dance Away', Dancer for short.

Dancer whinnied as she happily nudged Tracey's shoulder and searched her pockets for a juicy red apple. She frowned when she found nothing.

"No red apple today?" Dancer asked as she stared into Tracey's deep, crystal blue eyes. Sure, she wasn't a puppy dog, but puppy dog eyes worked perfectly when it came to getting what you wanted.

"Dancer! I wish you wouldn't use those eyes on me! Oh fine...I'll go inside and get you an apple"

As Tracey walked towards the porch she muttered under her breath _"stubborn little horse"_

"Hey I heard that!" Dancer called towards her owner. "I'm not little anymore, I'm gonna be a momma!"

Tracey flicked back her long platinum blonde hair as she entered the small house. She was quite petite for an adult and enjoyed activities as much as a little kid would. Though she was thirty one, age didn't really matter anymore to Tracey. Having a Neopet made her feel like a kid again, and she loved it.

As Tracey searched the fridge she was disappointed to find that the red apples had all disappeared. All that was left was a few apple cores chucked carelessly back into the fruit compartment and a slimesicle.

Stupid Wocky. Every time Tracey's cousin, Linda, came down in the holidays she always had her Neopet, Harry, come sleep over too. The blue Wocky was _always_ hungry and the fridge has become his best friend over the past few weeks.

Tracey grabbed the slimesicle, groaning as she closed the fridge. Stupid Neopet owed her a trip to the food store.

Dancer reared with excitement when she saw Tracey descend the porch steps. Her stomach growled. She just couldn't wait until she could sink her teeth into a juicy red apple.

Her excitement soon faded when she saw the slimesicle in Tracey's small hand.

"What the...Eww...You seriously don't expected me to eat.." Dancer stepped back as she wrinkled her nose in protest. "That?"

"I'm sorry it's all I have" Tracey said softly as she handed the slimesicle to her Neopet. "Harry went through my fridge..._again_"

Tracey let out a low sigh and Dancer winced.

"Eww it's...the slimesicle is like, dripping with some putrid green crap. Where did you get it from? A sewer? What about that freaky brain bush from the Haunted Woods? Is that where you got it from?" Dancer was always a bit of an anxious Uni.

"You know" Tracey coughed as she pointed towards her Uni's large belly. "Stressing isn't going to help your baby"

There was a long pause of silence and Dancer sighed in defeat. She tried her hardest to avoid anything that would harm her unborn baby, her treasure. It just wasn't worth it and the baby was due so soon.

Dancer growled as she took the slimesicle and took a very slow lick. Amazingly, she didn't cough anything back up. She actually continued to lick at the small ice cream, slurping up the slime that was starting to dribble from the top.

"That wasn't...so bad" she smiled when she had finished. Tracey smiled in return.

"That was the last of our supplies so I'm going to go to the food shop. I'll be back later" Tracey patted her beautiful white Uni as she turned and walked towards the house.

Suddenly, a loud scream of pain rang through the still evening.

"Tracey! Please help me!" Dancer coughed in agony. "The baby...It's...It's due.."


	2. New and lost life

The distressing cry of the poor white Uni was loud through the still evening of the day. Behind the monstrous Terror Mountain, the sun was starting to set. Sadly, it was almost the end of another day.

Tracey stroked Dancer's silky coat as she called for emergency. The phone rang for about three seconds before someone answered.

"Hello this is the Neopian Hospital. May I help you?" said a faint voice on the other end of the line.

"Yes hello this is Tracey Williams. My white Uni, Dance Away, is having a baby right now. We need a doctor here and fast!" Tracey's voice was full of panic. Dancer screamed once again with torture.

"We'll be there right away ma'am. May I have your address?"

"2817075 Bread Street, Neopia Central" Tracey felt herself shake with fear as the words came from her mouth.

The phone hung up.

Dancer let out another painful scream as her breathing became extremely rapid. Was this normal when a Neopet was giving birth?

'_It's going to be ok. The foal will be delivered soon and everything will be fine' _Tracey thought to herself as she continued to stroke Dancer's silky smooth coat. Seeing her poor Neopet in pain tore at her from the inside, however she remained calm and repeated the positive thought in her mind.

Suddenly, a piercing siren could be heard in the distance. The vehicle screeched to a stop in front of the house as local Neopet's started gathering. Curiosity had gotten the better of them.

Doctor Gary, a green Gelert, rapidly jumped from the van and rushed towards the Uni with his black suitcase.

Dancer let out another loud shriek of agony.

"She's breathing awfully heavy" Doctor Gary said tensely. "Her birth isn't going how it should..."

Tracey felt the anxiety starting to bubble in her throat. Her beautiful Dancer just _had _to survive.

Her only other Neopet, Midnight June, was away in the Neolodge for a few days. He was a red Lupe and Tracey's only other Neopet.

Midnight June and Dancer were best friends, almost inseparable. Even though Midnight June had been adopted, Dancer had always considered him a part of the family.

"_He's family now, he's like a brother AND a best friend" _Dancer had once said.

Tracey's daze was broken when Dancer let screamed again. A worried look crossed the doctor's face. That wasn't a good sign...

"W-What's w-wrong?" she could feel the fear in her voice as the anxiety continued to bubble in her throat. Dancer couldn't die! Not now!

"She's...loosing too much blood" she heard Doctor Gary reply almost instantly. "It's called a hemorrhage. She isn't going to make it. I'm sorry."

Those last words made Tracey almost scream with panic. _'she isn't going to make it'. _

Tears blinded her eyes as she watched the Doctor. "This is just a bad dream" she thought to herself. "Nothing but a bad dream."

"The foal is going to make it" Doctor Gary said with a little spark of hope in his voice, however he still remained upset. The death of any Neopet was heartbreaking.

"I don't care about that stupid baby! It killed my Dancer!" Tracey yelled as she stood there, staring into the cold, lifeless eyes of her old Neopet. "I'll never forgive the baby! NEVER!"

She ran up the porch steps, tears blinding her eyes as she swiftly opened the door and slammed it behind her.

The night was cold and dark. It had been the end of another day.

The end of another day, and the end of another life.


	3. First home

**The story is now set in first person through the eyes of my Uni, Sparkly Rainbows.**

This was the day I first saw the world.

The moon shone high in the sky, shimmering like a silver marble. A frosty breeze blew around my fragile body. I shivered in response.

A green Gelert smiled as he looked at me. He turned his eyes towards something else, however, and he frowned.

My dead mother. She lay there beside me. Lifeless. Gone.

"You're a beautiful little Uni aren't you?" The Gelert smiled as he looked deeply into my icy blue eyes. "Just like your mother."

I smiled back up at him as I tried to get up onto my feet. At first, my legs were extremely unstable and I fell back onto the ground.

I heard a low chuckle.

"We'll have to practise walking, won't we?" his voice was kind and patient as he helped me learn my first steps. It wasn't so hard after all.

"You're a quick learner. I might have to get Tracey out here to see you." He smiled one more sweet smile towards me until he left.

I was alone.

The frost breeze consumed me again and I shivered vigorously. I didn't like this at all.

I sat perfectly still until the Gelert had returned. Behind him, a platinum blonde girl was walking towards me. I could feel the anger illuminating from her and the atmosphere got suddenly tense.

"She's ugly. She killed my Dancer" I heard her say as she glared at me. Her eyes were stained with tears, was this all my fault?

"Tracey..." I heard the Gelert reply in a low sigh. "She needs milk as soon as possible otherwise she isn't going to make it."

"Let her die!" Tracey's voice cut sharply through the silent night. She grumbled as she turned her back and walked back to the house. "Take her now! Augh, just get that disgusting thing out of my sight!"

It didn't take long until Tracey had disappeared back into the house in the distance. I felt my stomach growl with hunger as I felt my body become weak.

"I won't let you die" he whispered softly in my ear. "Sparkly Rainbows."

He lifted me up, carrying me into his van. Suddenly, he drove off into the night.

We arrived at what looked like a massive mansion on an island. As Gary carried me from the van, I managed to quickly scan my surroundings.

The night was still cool as it touched my thin coat. I hadn't grown fur yet, and the chills went straight through my whole body.

"Come on, let's get you inside and warmed up" Gary said as he started walking quicker towards the mansion.

I suddenly noticed a larger mansion on a rugged mountain in the distance, looking almost like a castle. It had a sharp pointed roof that seemed to stab the night sky. I stared at the dark house in sudden awe.

Whoever lived there seemed to like the dark. The castle looked like it had death written all over it.

When we arrived into the mansion, I was suddenly aware of how warm it was. An open fire crackled in the corner of the airy lounge room.

"This is your new home, Sparkly" Gary smiled politely.

I didn't recognise that he had nicknamed me 'Sparkly'. I was too consumed in the beautiful and delicateness of the mansion.

My bedroom was even more superior. A Snowager bed and Faerieland cloud lamp sat at the far left of the room. On the far right, I noticed a Snowager rug and Snowager bean bag. Man did this guy like the Snowager.

My first night didn't last long and it was morning before I knew it.

As the days went on, I started growing very quickly. I was already a month old when Gary had put me into a Neopet school in Roo Island. I learned how to speak and write, and I made some wonderful friends.

Since birth, I had always been treated like a baby. Now I was a year old and even though I was strong and independent, Gary still bought food home for me every day after work at the Neopian Hospital. Some days I even went to the Hospital with him.

Then one overcast day I came home from school and walked into the kitchen, only to find Gary looking a little...upset. This wasn't his usual self.

"What's wrong?" I asked curiously.

Gary looked up at me with eyes that I could see were eyes of hurt. This wasn't going to be pleasant. A felt a twist of fear in my stomach.

"Sparkly please sit down. We need to talk"

I sat down immediately as I was engulfed in my own confusion. He was so happy yesterday, why the sudden change?

Gary stared deep into my blue eyes for a long moment. The silence made me feel a little uneasy and then he finally spoke.

"You're going to go to a new home"

My jaw suddenly dropped and I felt the fear bubble inside me.


	4. Running away

"You're chucking me into that disgusting, creepy pound!?" I found myself yelling as loud as my voice could go. He couldn't leave me at that horrible place!

"I'm sorry Sparkly...I can't look after you anymore. I've lost my job and.." Gary said, choking back tears. "I can't afford to keep you anymore. A nice owner will adopt you"

I suddenly found myself remembering the day when my school teacher had told us her life story in class one day. She had been a pet that was once abandoned and told us a few important things.

"Some Neopets stay in there for years even. A lonely cage with nothing but food and water" she had said. "Although the unfortunate Neopet's are adopted by bad owners, and are _never _seen again."

_Never _seen again.

The thought made me shiver and I found Gary staring at me again, with sadness.

"What if I stay in there for years!? What if no one adopts me!?"

Gary suddenly turned silent as his gaze was now on the floor below him. After a long minute, he turned his gaze back to me.

"Sparkly you're a stunning Uni. Someone won't be able to resist, and they'll adopt you."

I looked at myself, wondering why he called me 'stunning'. I was a plain, white Uni. Wouldn't someone rather a Neopet with a bit of colour?

I'd seen some beautiful Neopet's in the past way more 'stunning' than what I was. One of the popular Neopet's who attended my school, Jubilee, was a beautiful Maraquan Hissi. Her friends were just as exquisite, Shadi the graceful Faerie Ixi and Purple Dream the royal Lupe.

I felt instantly jealous.

"I'm taking you to the pound tomorrow. You'll be gone from there in less than a day" Gary said, breaking my day dreaming.

I felt the fury burn through my veins. "Like HELL I am! I'm getting away from this horrible place!" I bolted furiously out the front door, out into the blinding sun and towards the mountains.

As I left the house and galloped, I sighed with relief when I realised that Gary wasn't going to chase me. Well, running away was defiantly a better option than that freaky old pound.

It didn't take me long to reach the foot of the large mountain. Sitting atop stood the eerie castle I had always fantasised about, even since I was a baby and first came to Roo Island, I had always wondered what was inside that spooky place.

The mountain wasn't as hard to climb as I had expected, though time had passed extremely quickly as I climbed. I had managed to cross the harsh ridge, which had probably been the hardest part of my journey.

When I had finally reached the peak of the hill, I was in instant awe as I stared at the ominous castle. It had looked big from a distance, however now that I was standing so close to it, it looked monstrous.

An unexpected crack of thunder made me jump with fright. Intimidating black clouds loomed low in the sky, darkening the sun with its presence.

The door of the castle suddenly creaked open.

Was someone expecting me? I had no idea who lived in the castle at all so I didn't know what to expect.

An unknown force abruptly grabbed me.

I let out a scream of terror and spun around as the cold hands grabbed my fur.

It was only a petite Faerie Uni.

"What the!?" I choked out as a confused look crossed my face. "Who are you?"

The Faerie Uni smiled with delight. "I'm Belle 708 but please, just call me Belle. See I don't like numbers you know? But who does like numbers? My stupid owner named me with numbers but I don't want to feel like I'm just a number. You know?"

I stood silently as I listened to Belle's noisy chattering.

"Why are you here?" I finally managed to ask. Seeing another Uni actually had surprised me as Roo Island was known for its vast population of Blumaroo's.

"I am allowed to go for midnight walks..." she replied. I stared at her unconvinced.

"Ok, ok...I snuck out...but pleeease don't tell my owner ok? I'm kind of already grounded. Anyway why are _you _here? What's so special about Count Von Roo? Huh?"

I watched as Belle shuddered when she had said the name.

"Count Von Roo?"

Belle rolled her eyes. "Duh! Count Von Roo is a vampire Blumaroo! Haha that rhymes! Anyway back to the story. He sucks on the blood of all the living Neopet's who live here in Roo Island, oh my gosh! Has he got you yet!? WHAT ARE THOSE MARKS ON YOUR NECK!!!??"

I sighed deeply. Was this Uni always _this _annoying?

"No you idiot, I haven't been bitten by a 'vampire Blumaroo' on my neck" There was a sarcastic tone in my voice when I stated 'vampire Blumaroo.'

Belle smiled at me as if oblivious to the statement I had just made. "Well go on, go inside."

I watched as she pranced towards the door as if it were her own home, despite what she had said earlier. Seriously, how brainless and irrational was this Uni?

She didn't look back as I tagged along behind her, approaching the castle door.

The door was still open. Someone was still expecting us.

"La, la, la" I heard Belle sing calmly as she bounded into the darkened house. "La la it's a beautiful night."

I stopped short at the foot of the door. The inside of the castle was pitch-black.

"La la" I heard Belle's voice trail off somewhere in the unseeable darkness. She seemed deep in the castle, far away.

Her voice stopped.

"Belle?" I said nervously as I stepped into the castle. I felt my body tremble as I began repeating her name. "Belle?"

The door suddenly slammed shut behind me.

I jumped with fright. The darkness was intimidating. Swiftly, I ran back to the closed door.

It was locked.

I felt my stomach twist with fear. Where had Belle disappeared to? She had to be in the castle somewhere.

A malevolent laugh made me freeze where I stood.


End file.
